Loom reed threading device



May 3, 1955 M. J. MACKAY 2,707,317

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May 3, 1955 M. J. MACKAY 2,707,317

LOOM REED THREADING DEVICEy Filed Jan. 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN'i/S.

Unted States atent Loom REED rimaniamo envien Malcolm I. Mackay, iaiamazoo, Mich., assigner to Wisconsin Wire Works, Appleton, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application January 18, 1954, Serial No. 464,468

l2 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-45) This invention relates to improvements in loom reed threading devices.

In the weaving art the warp strands are extended toward the loom from a warp roll and passed through heddles which reciprocate vertically to alternate the warp strands for the formation of sheds through which the loom shuttle passes transversely, the loom shuttle carrying the weft strands. There is associated with the loom in the sheds between the heddles and shuttle, a reed block which is provided with a plurality of minutely spaced apart thin liexible reed elements. The reed elements function to space the strands and to force the weft into place to form the woven fabric. In weaving it is necessary that the ends of the warp strands be threaded through elements of the reed block, and each successive warp strand must be passed through the next advanced "dent or space between a pair of reed elements.

While there have been prior attempts to provide automatic or mechanical mechanisms for threading warp strands through the reed, such prior mechanisms have been relatively complicated and expensive with the rei sult that in practice the threading of the warp strands through the reed is usually accomplished manually, with the operator passing the end of the warp strand through the desired next advanced dent of the reed. However,

as the reed elements are extremely close together it is difficult to manually accomplish the threading operation accurately and quickly. For instance, if two strands are passed through the same dent, or the next adjacent dent is skipped, defective fabric will result and the error must be rectified through a tedious manual operation. Another factor to be considered in connection with the threading of loom reeds is that Vthe dents or spaces between the reed elements are not entirely uniform and after a reed has been in use for some time uneven or spread dents will develop because of the factors mentioned, and where r manual reed threading is engaged in, the operator must have considerable experience and excellent eyesight and even so the manual threading is a slow 'and tedious operatin.

With the foregoing in mind it is therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provide a relatively simple and inexpensive mechanical loom reed threading device susceptible of functioning accurately and expeditiously to pass warp strands through successively advanced dents in a loom reed, thereby eliminating the slowness and possibility of errors incident to `manual loom reed threadmg.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loom reed threading device which operates `with extreme accuracy to properly thread the warp strands through the reed regardless of non-uniformity in the size and spacing of successive dents in the reed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical loom reed threading device wherein the blade is arranged to be reciprocated forwardly and rearwardly through the reed` dents and relative to a longitudinally advancing carriage with which it is operatively associated,

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the carriage being susceptible of stepped movement lengthwise of the reed, which stepped movement of the carriage is accomplished by a biasing action on the blade in the direction of the next reed dent to be entered during the movement of the knife through the preceding dent, which action of the blade transmits motion to the carriage in the manner of a lever.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical loom reed threading device in which the action of the blade in passing through the reed causes stepped advancement of the blade carrying carriage, magnetic means being provided for locking the carriage in each steppedly advanced position when the blade is withdrawn from the reed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loom reed threading device readily applicable to conventional looms and which will require no modification thereof or of the reed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a loom reed threading device which is of simple construction, is easy to operate, and is well adapted for the purposes described.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of the improved loom reed threading device, and its parts and combinations as set forth in the claims, and all equivalents thereof.

in the accompanying drawings in which the same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the views:

Fig. l is a schematic view of a loom showing the warp strands extended between the guide and breast rolls thereof, together' with the heddles and reed block, the latter being shown in section and having the improved reed threading device operatively applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary rear face view of the reed block and attached reed threading device;

Fig. 3 is a similar view only looking at the front face of the reed block and attached reed threading device;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view taken approximately on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken `on line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an end view similar to Fig. 4 only showing the blade in a reciprocated position through the reed;

Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 5 only showing the relationship of the parts with Jthe blade passed through the reed;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the blade in its initial position in a reed dent before it is deflected or biased; and

Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed sectional View similar to Fig. 8- only .showing the manner in which the blade, afater passing into a reed dent is biased or deflected laterally to advance the carriage for the entrance of the blade into the next successive dent upon the next reed entering operation of the blade.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings and to the schematic showing in Fig. l, it will be observed that the association of the improved loom reed threading device with a reed block and other portions of a loom is illustrated. At one side of the loom proper is a guide roll it) over which the warp strands 11 are extended, said warp strands being unwound from a warp roll or warp beam (not shown). The warp strands are threaded through the reed elements 17 of a transversely extending reed block 12 which is spacedly interposed between the heddlc'; 13 and that portion of the sheds i4 through which the shuttle (not shown) passes. The reed block l2' is ofconventional construction and serves i to space the warp threads or strands and also functions to drive the weft into position to form the woven fabric, the latter being extended over a breast roll and beyond the same to a winding instrumentality (not shown).

The reed block 12 comprises a pair of vertically spacedapart bars 16 in which are anchored the opposite extremities of the thin flexible reed elements 17 which are minutely spaced apart and the vertical spaces between adjacent reed elements are termed dents In the weaving art it is necessary that the forward ends of the warp strands 11 be threaded through the reed dents and for the attainment of perfectly woven fabric, each successive warp strand must be passed through the next adjacent reed dent to insure uniformity in the mesh of the fabric being woven in the loom. The reed elements 17 in the reed block 12 are not precisely uniformly spaced from one another, and, additionally, after usage, certain of the dents may become more spread than others.

The present invention resides particularly in a mechanism or device carried by and operatively associated with the reed block 12 and adapted upon manipulation (either manual or automatic) to mechanically thread the warp strands 11 through successive reed dents.

. In the drawings theimproved loom reed threading device is indicated generally by the numeral 18 and it will be observed from Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6, that the device 18 is clamped to the upper bar 16 of the reed block by turn bolts 19 in a manner so as to be coextensive with a substandtial portion of the reed block and shiftable longitudinally therealong whereby a certain reciprocatable element, forming a part of the device 18, can move through the reed element dents from each face of the reed block.

The loom reed threading device 18 comprises a pair of longitudinally spaced apart end brackets 20 having bifurcated lower end portions in which the clamping bolts 19 are located and formed so as to transversely straddle longitudinally separated portions of the upper bar 16 of the reed block. The end brackets 20 are held together by longitudinal tie rods 21 and 22. A longitudinal operating shaft 23 has its opposite end portions journalled in upstanding ears 24 projecting upwardly from the end brackets 20 and the operating shaft 23 is adapted to be oscillated either through a mechanical or electrical drive applied to an end portion thereof or manually, by means of a crank 25. i

As will appear in Fig. 2, the oscillatory operating shaft 23 is formed with a longitudinal keyway in which is keyed the hub portion of a rack gear 26 whereby said rack gear may, as will hereinafter appear, steppedly advance minute distances longitudinally on the shaft 23. The outer end of the shaft 23 opposite the operating handle 25 has fast thereon an eccentric or cam 27 which, when the shaft is oscillated in one direction, is brought into operative contact with the roller end of a magnet bar crank 28. The inner end of said magnet bar crank 28 is fast on the outer end of a stub shaft extension 29 which, with a similar oppositely disposed stub shaft extension 30 oscillatably mount the opposite end portions of a magnet bar 31 in the spaced apart end brackets 20, the mounting shaft portions 29 and 30 being integral with opposite end portions of the magnet bar 31. When the operating shaft 18, therefore, is oscillated in a certain direction so as to cause the cam 27 to depress the crank 28, and thus swing the magnet bar 31 from the position of Fig. 5 to its released position of Fig. 7, a blade carriage generally indicated by the numeral 32 which is mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of the tie rods 21, may be minutely longitudinally advanced as will hereinafter appear.

The horizontal top portion of the blade carriage 32 is formed with depending sleeve portions 33 which slidably receive and support spaced apart rack carriage bars 34 which are transverse to the tie rods 21 and magnet bar 31. Said rack carriage bars 34 support a frame work including a transverse rack bar 35 having teeth 36 therein engaged by the rack gear 26 with the result that upon oscillation of the operating shaft 23 the rack bar carriage and all parts carried thereby will reciprocate transversely of the tie rods 21 and reed block 12 and, additionally, the under carriage 32 which reciprocatably supports the rack bar carriage can, through other means, be caused to intermittently move longitudinally of the tie rods 21.

Depending from a frame portion of the rack bar carriage is a supporting bar 37 to which is adjustably secured an end portion of an eccentrically shaped thin and flexible hook blade 38. The leading edges of the latter are knife edges to permit said hook blade to enter and pass to and fro relative to successive reed dents. The forward or free end of said hook blade has on its lower edge a recess 39 adapted to receive and to hookingly engage the end of a warp strand 11 which is to be threaded through a desired dent in the reed block 12.

There are mounted in the under carriage 32 permanent magnets 40 (see Fig. 2) which are sufficiently strong to magnetically attract against their exposed end portions the oscillatable magnet bar 31 when the magnet bar operating cam 27 is in the inoperative position of Figs. 2 and 4, resulting at such times in a locking of the longitudinally movable under carriage 32. This takes place when the hook blade 38 is completely withdrawn from a reed block dent, as in Fig. 5. However, when the hook blade is substantially entered into the reed dent, as in Figs. 6 and 7, the oscillation of the shaft 23 will have caused the cam 27 to depress the magnet bar crank 28 causing the magnet bar to be moved away from the permanent magnets 4t), as in Fig. 7, against the force of a confined coiled spring 45, whereby the under carriage 32, and parts carried thereby, is released from the threading device frame so that the action of the blade in passing through a reed dent can, by lever action, minutely move the carriage and its associated parts longitudinally of the tie rods of the frame work.

A pair of spaced apart supporting blocks 41 depend from the front lower portion of the under carriage 32 so as to overhang a portion of the rear face of the reed block 12. The blocks 41 adjustably threadably receive the shank portions of headed studs 42 and 43, the same being secured in threaded positions of adjustment by lock nuts 44. The members 42 and 43 have in their enlarged head portions ball bearing 42 and 43 respectively. In practice, the spacing between the ball bearing ends of the members 42 and 43 should be such as to permit the snug passage therebetween of the hook blade 38 and to permit biasing of the latter a distance equal to the distance between successive dents between the reed elements 17.

In Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 the loom reed threading device is illustrated with the hook blade 38 retracted from a reed dent. In this position the magnet bar 31 is held against the permanent magnets 40, whereby the carriage and parts associated therewith are locked or braked against longitudinal movement on the tie rods 21. If the operating shaft 23 is thereafter oscillated in a clockwise direction relative to Figs. 4 and 5 either through manual manipulation of the crank 25 or by power means applied to said shaft 23, the rack gear 26, engaging the teeth of the transverse rack plate 35, will reciprocate said rack plate transversely forwardly across the top of the reed block, and the framework which is integral with the rack bar will reciprocate transversely forwardly relative to the undercarriage 32 on which it is slidably mounted. The hook blade 38, being carried by the rack bar frame, will be passed between a pair of the reed elements 17 or through a reed dent, carrying with it a warp strand 11. Before the hook blade reaches its fullest position of projection through a reed dent the condition illustrated at Fig. 8 attains and it will be observed that the end of the hook blade 38 engages the ball bearing end 43', for instance, of one of the spaced apart studs. Due to the flexible nature of the hook blade and to the fact that it is passing through the reed dent at a slight angle, upon further projection of the hook-blade it will be dellected toward the other ball bearing end d2 of the stud 42 with `a force sulllcient to cause the bool-t blade 33 to act as a lever and thus transmit movement to the carriage 32 in a direction toward thc next adjacent reed dent. The carriage 32 and parts carried thereby is, at this vpoint of operation, free to be moved longitudinally slightly on the tie rods 2l due to the fact that the magnet bar 3l. is at this time released from the permanent magnets. After the hook blade has been projected through the entered reed dent the maximum distance, as in Figs. 6 and 7, and the operating shaft 23 is then oscillated in a reverse direction, the hook blade will be withdrawn from the originally entered dent, but due to the advancement of the carriage, upon the next movement of the operating shaft 23 in a direction to project the hook blade relative to the reed bloeit, the hook blade will then enter and pass through the next adjacent reed dent. This procedure is repeated as long as the o erating shaft 23 is oscillated back and forth in reverse directions. Any danger of double threading or the shipping of a next adjacent reed dent is eliminated and the threading operations may be carried out very expeditiously and accurately and no undue skill on the part ot the operator is required.

Ultimately the carriage 32. will progress longitudinally on the tie rods 2l until it reaches an end frame 20 opposite from that relative to which operations were commenced, it being understood that the reed block l2 is usually of considerably greater length than the threading device i8. At this point it will be necessary to release the clamping bolts 19 and then slide the entire device to an advanced position along the reed block and to release the magnet bar and slide the carriage toward the other end frame bracket of the mechanism to a position wherein the hook blade may be brought into registration with the next reed dent desired to be entered.

From the foregoing description it will appear that the improved loom reed threading device is readily applicable to standard loom reed blocks and provides a relatively simple and inexpensive mechanism for accomplishing the threading of warp strands with ease and speed. The loom reed threading device is simple in construction, easy to install, adjust and operate and is well adapted for the purposes described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

l. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage 1ongitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame, a .hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with means engageable with the hook blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to bias the blade and to cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, and mechanical means extend ing to the hook blade carriage for reciprocating it.

2. ln combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame adjustably secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage and movable longitudinally therewith, a thin flexible hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocaticns of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with means engageable with the hook blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to bias lthe blade and to cause it t transmit minute longitudinal d movement to the under carriage for subsequent alinement of the blade with the next advanced reed dent, and mechanical means extending to the hook blade carriage for reciprocating it.

3. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame securd to a lon gitudinal edge of the reed block, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame and having a portion overhanging a face of the reed. block, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a flexible hook blade carried at one end portion by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, spaced-apart protuberances carried by the overhanging portion of the under carriage to engage the hooi: blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent and between said protuberances to later lly bias the blade and cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, and mechanical means extending to the hooi'. blade carriage for reciprocating it.

4. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed ciments being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame secured to a longitudinal edge of the reed block, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame and having a portion overhanging a face of the reed block, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a flexible hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, adjustably spaced-apart protuberances carried by the overhanging portion of the under carriage between which the hook blade passes as it reciprocates through a reed dent, being thereby deflected from one protuberance to the other thereby imparting leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, and mechanical means extending to the hooi; blade carriage for reciprocating it.

5. in combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adiacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the piane of the block, a frame secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the `iframe, a hooi; blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a hook. blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with means engageable with the hook blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to bias the blade and to cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, means for automatically braking the under carriage against longitudinal movement in certain positions of reciprocation of the blade carriage, and mechanical means extending to the hook blade carriage for reciprocating it.

6. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin flexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage lon gitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocation of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with means engageable with the hook blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to bias the blade and to cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, a brake for holding the under carriage against longitudinal movement in certain positions of reciprocation of the blade carriage, and mechanical means eX- tending to the hook blade carriage for reciprocating it and to said brake for automatically applying and releasing it in coordination with positions of the hook blade carriage.

7. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin exible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with means engageable with the hook Y blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to bias the blade and to cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longit tdinally of the reed block, a magnetically inuenced brake for holding the under carriage against longitudinal movement in certain positions of reciprocation of the blade carriage, and mechanical means for reciprocating the hook blade carriage and for operating said brake in timed relation.

8. In combination, a loom reed block having disposed therein closely adjacent thin ilexible reed elements with the dents between the adjacent reed elements being transverse to the plane of the block, a frame secured to the reed block longitudinally thereof, an under carriage longitudinally shiftably mounted on the frame, a hook blade carriage transversely reciprocatably mounted on the under carriage, a hook blade carried by the blade carriage for passage into and out of successive reed dents upon reciprocations of the blade carriage, the under carriage being provided with spaced means selectviely engageable with the hook blade as it reciprocates through a reed dent to laterally bias the blade and to cause it to transmit leverage to the under carriage for stepped advancement of the same longitudinally of the reed block, a brake for hoiding the under carriage against longitudinal movement in certain positions of reciprocation of the blade carriage, means for reciprocating the blade carriage, and cam controlled means for automatically applying and releasing the brake in coordination with positions of the hook blade carriage.

9. In a loom reed threading device having a frame, a

carriage for stepped longitudinal advancement along the frame and a blade for passage into and out of successive reed dents; a slide member on which the blade is mounted reciprocatable transversely of the carriage and movable longitudinally with the carriage; and cooperating brake means between the frame and carriage for periodically holding the latter against longitudinal movement along the frame.

10. In a loom reed threading device having a frame, a carriage for stepped longitudinal advancement along the frame and a blade for passage into and out of successive read dents; a slide member on which the blade is mounted for reciprocation transversely of the carriage and longitudinal movement with the carriage; and cooperating magnetic means between the frame and carriage for periodically braking the latter against longitudinal movement along the frame during certain reciprocated positions of the slide member.

ll. In a loom reed threading device having a frame, a carriage for stepped longitudinal advancement along the frame and a blade for passage into and out of successive reed dents; a slide member on which the blade is mounted for reciprocation transversely of the carriage and longitudinal movement with the carriage; cooperating brake means between the frame and carriage for periodically holding the latter against longitudinal movement along the frame, an oscillatable shaft journalled in said frame, rack and pinion means between the shaft and slide member for reciprocating the latter during oscillatory movements of the shaft, and means controlled by oscillations of the shaft for operating said brake means.

l2. In a loom reed threading device having a frame, a carriage for stepped longitudinal advancement along the frame and a blade for passage into and out of successive reed dents; a slide member on which the blade is mounted for reciprocation transversely of the carriage and longitudinal movement with the carriage; a magnet mounted in the carriage, a magnet bar rockingly mounted in the frame and engageable with the magnet for periodically braking the carriage against longitudinal movement along the frame; an oscillatable shaft journalled in said frame; rack and pinion means between the shaft and slide member for reciprocating the latter during oscillatory movements of the shaft; and means controlled by oscillations of the shaft for rocking said magnet bar to and from the magnet.

No references cited. 

